Our Story
We are the owners of Benchmark Cottage and live close by, so you can talk to us anytime – or ask for any recommendation- to make your stay as enjoyable and as memorable as possible!
Pete and I are immensely proud to come from this beautiful area of North Yorkshire, more specifically from our respective coastal homesteads of Whitby and Scarborough.
With deep family connections and childhoods spent across the moor, we’ll be able to tell all about the best places to visit – and help you go a little “off-the-beaten-track” to discover treasures hidden deep within our beautiful national park.
Pete is the original “Aquaman” and has spent his entire life either playing, fishing, sailing or working in our North Sea! There isn’t much about the moors or ocean life he doesn’t know and he’ll be delighted to navigate you to the best fishing spots or hiking trails in the area.
The beach has always been my childhood sanctuary. If my family can’t find me, invariably I’ll be discovered in blissful solitude wild swimming, rock-pooling or hunting beautiful sea glass that can be found on certain stretches of local beach after the right tides. I’ll be happy to share my favourite beach spots (but, shhh! Don’t tell everyone!)
After a 35+ years in an international board-level career, I returned to my beloved Yorkshire in 2010 and made a lifestyle change to become Housekeeping Manager for Forest Holidays, managing 40 housekeeping crew and developing a real passion for creating memorable guest experiences and high cleanliness standards -values I hope you’ll find reflected throughout your stay at Benchmark Cottage.
With 5 wonderful Daughters between us, Pete and I met over our mutual love of motorcycling and moved to Glaisdale at the start of 2021 to join friends here and a vibrant, supportive village community.
We sincerely hope you’ll feel at home in Glaisdale as much as we do and can’t wait to welcome you here soon!
Pete and Joanna